Improved mold for backing electrotype-shells



UNTTED STATES PATENT Trice..

AARON D. FARMER AND RANSOM RATHBONE, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

IIVIPROVE'D MOLDFOR BACKING ELECTROTYPE-SHELLS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 13,521, dated September 4, 1855.

To @ZZ whom, it may concern.-

Beit known that we, AARON D. FARMER., of Brooklyn, Kings county, State of New York, and Ransom RATHBONE, of the city and county of New York, and State aforesaid, have invented a new and Improved Apparatus or Mold-Block for Backing Up Electrotype- Shells; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full description of the same.

The nature of our invention consists, substantially, in the construction and application ofa mold so that the body or frame ot' the same holds the electrotype-shell flat and securely upon the bed-plate of the mold-block while the fused type-metal is being poured into the mold to back it up, and thereby preventing the shell from warping up, andthe use of numerous wires and springs heretofore used by electrotypers for that purpose; but to describe our invention more particularly we will refer to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, the same letters of reference wherever they occur referring to like parts.

Figure lis a perspective view of the moldblock, with the clamps attached thereto for holding the parts together'. Fig. 2 is a trans verse cut section of the moldblock through line x fr, Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a perspective view ofthe frame or'body of the mold. Fig. 4 is a representation of an electrot-ypeshell for illustrating the application of the apparatus. i

Letter A represent-s the bed or bottom plate of the mold. This plate is a flat plate of metal of any suitable dimensions for the size ofelectrotype-shells to be operated upon. At letter'K is a handle attached to .it for convenience of handling, as the plate is always heated for the purpose of fusing the solder on the back of the electrotype-shell.

Letter B is a hollow frame composing the sides of the mold. The lower edges of this frame are beveled, as seen at I) b, the object of which is to fit more evenly the flattened margins b b of the electrotype-shell. The

depth of the frame is made to correspond with the height of type, so that the electrotype may at the one' operation of backing up be made to correspond with other type-matterin the printers form.

Letter C is a representation of the top plate ofthe lnold, having a handle, G, on the back ofit for holding the mold when clamped together for the introduction of the type-metal. On the under side of the plate is a core, D, attached to it by screws g g for the purpose of giving or causing a hollow in the foot ofthe casting when it is required, but may be removed and another substituted.

Letters i are pins in the top plate for holding it steady on the frame B.

Letters F are clamps for holding the mold together by means of the thumb -screws I and I. i

Having now described the construction of our improved mold, we will state our mode of using the same.

We first prepare the article to be electrotyped in a common printers chase and surround it by rules of the saine height and of the thickness required by the beveled edges ofthe mold-frame B. The object ot' this is to obtain a flat margin, so that the shell may be held rmly and evenly on the bed-plate of the mold, and therefore this preliminary preparation ofthe shell becomes essential to the successful application of the invention ot' which it forms a part. After having locked the article in the chase it is submitted to the battery, and when thick enough is taken out and the back of it is tinned. The shell is then laid face down upon the bed-plate A and the beveled edges b b of the frame B are fitted upon the flattened margins b b of the shell. The top plate, C, is then put on, and by means of the clamps the whole is tightly secured together. The mold-block is then placed on end, having the handle thrown backward and downward. The object of this backward inclination is to prevent the metal from coming in contact with the tinned surface of the shell while running down into the mold.

All parts of the mold should be heated so as to melt tin before being put together to make the cast.

It will be obvious that various applications may be made of the mold for making two or more casts at the same time, either of the same or of different sizes, by means of crosspartitions, so as to hold the shells firmly down.

Having now described our invention and mode of application, we will proceed to state what we claim and desire to secure by Letters stanbially as herenbefore described, for back- Pabent of the United States: ing elecbrotypeshells.

The use of the mold-frame B, or its equiva- A. D. FARMER. lent, substantially for the purpose herein- RANSOM RATHBONE. before set forth, in combination with the bed- Witnesses: plate A, top plate, C, and clamps, and handle CHARLES L. BARRITT, G, or their equivalents, for the purposes sub- J. B. NONEs. 

